Shoe last and method of manufacturing the same



July 17, 1934. s KURLAN 1,967,148

SHOE LAST AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME Filed June 23, 1952 '2SheetsSfiet 1 gay. 1.

4; fiziafney Kar July 17, 1934. s. KURLAN 1,967,148

SHOE LAST AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME Filed June 23, 1932 2Sheets- Sheet 2 gwmm Jadncy ffurZan,

Patented "July 17, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Sidney Kurlan,Rochester, N. Y. Application June 23, 1932, Serial No. 618,982

4 Claims. (Cl. 29-148) The invention relates to foot wear manufactureand more particularly to shoe lasts and the .method of manufacturing thesame.

The primary object of the present invention is to enable shoe lasts ofall styles and types to be made of metal and turned or shaped on awoodworking machine with the same speed, facility and accuracy as awooden shoe last.

A further object of the-invention is to provide an exactly accuratemetallic shoe last of economical construction which will not deteriorateor be afiected by the elements, and which will not warp, crack, check,split or swell. I

Another object of the invention is to provide a metallic shoe last-whichwill be substantially as strong as mild steel, and lighter thanaluminum, and adapted to be heated, either by means of an interiorlyarranged heating element, or by the application of heat exteriorly ofthe last.

Anotherobject of the invention is to enable either hollow or solid shoelasts to be constructed of metal and to provide a construction which,when the shoe last is composed of hinge front and rear sections, isadapted to enable the rear section to be readily formed or adjusted forthe proper heel height.

Another object of the invention is to provide a metallic shoe last whichwill indefinitely preserve its specific contour and dimensions which,when the style of the last becomes obsolete, may be melted and recastfor making another last of the desired style.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists both in thenovel method of mak-' ing metallic shoe lasts and in the constructionand novel combination and arrangement of the parts of the lastshereinafterjully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings andpointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood thatvarious changes in the form, proportion and minor details ofconstruction, within the scope of the claims, may be resorted to withoutdeparting from the spirit or sacrificing any of'the advantages of theinvention.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation oi. a magnesium alloyblock. i

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing themagnesium block out into twosections with a hinge joint or connection. r

Fig; 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same, illustrating themeans for rigidly holding the sections in fixed adjustment while turningthe magnesium alloy block into the desired last shape.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the turned or shaped last before removingthe terminal lugs.

Fig. 5 is, a side elevation of the complete last.

Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 6--6 of Fig. 5.

In the accompanying drawings in which is illustrated the preferredembodiment of the invention, 1 designates a block or blank of magnesiumalloy having substantially the shape of a shoe last and possessingsufficient material to enable a shoe last of the desired style, shapeand size to be formed of it.

It has been found after experimenting with numerous alloys of variousmetals that a magnesium alloy within the range of not less than 20%magnesium; nor more than 95% magnesium, may be shaped or turned on anordinary woodworking lathe or machine with the same rapidity, facilityand accuracy as wood in making a wooden shoe last. The magnesium alloyblock is cast with terminal lugs or portions 2 and 3 which enable it tobe held in a lathe and which are trimmedv off after the last has beenshaped in a shoe last turning machine or profile machine -in the samemanner as a shoe last made of wood.

While the method of the present invention is applicable-to themanufacture of shoe lasts of all kinds, styles and types, a hollow shoelast composed of hinged front and rear sections 4 and 5 is illustratedin the accompanying drawings. Before shaping the magnesium block in alathe it is preferable to cut the block transversely into the twosections 4 and 5 with bearing recesses 6. and bearing lugs 7 at thelower portions of their adjacent ends to form a hinge joint orconnection to enable the last to break in the usual manner and the saidsections 4 and 5 are provided below the bearing recesses 6 and bearinglugs 7 with abutting shoulders 8 and 9 which limit the swinging movementof the sections on each other in one direction and which support theheel portion of the rear section at the desired elevation when thesections are locked in operative position in theusual manner. Anysuitable means may, of course, be employed for locking the sections andfor permitting the sections to break, and the front section maybeprovided with interior bosses 10 for the attachment of such means.

The recessesG and lugs '7 form contacting bearing faces, and lugs 7 arepreferably provided at their inner faces with flanges 11 extendingbeyond the walls of the bearing recesses 6 and engaging the frontsection 4 interiorly thereof to prevent any relative lateral movement ofthe front and rear sections. Instead of forming the front and rearsections from a single block it will be obvious that the sections may,if desired, be cast separately to form a rough blank to be placed in alathe for forming the last.

Prior to placing the front and rear sections in the lathe for shapingthe same into the desired last form, the sections are rigidly locked infixed adjustment with the heel portion of the rear section at thedesired elevation. The elevation of the heel portion of the rear sectionis determined by the abutting shoulders 8 and 9 which may be trimmed outor otherwise cut away to arrange the heel portion of the rear section inthe proper position when the front and rear sections are assembled inoperative position.

The locking of the front and rear sections in fixed relation for shapingor turning the same in a woodworking lathe is effected by means of anadjustable connecting device consisting of a lower approximatelyinverted U-shaped member 12 and a substantially straight upperadjustable jaw member 13 consisting of a short bar provided at its upperface with teeth 14 and having a vertical threaded opening 15 locatedapproximately midway between the ends of the adjustable jaw 13 andreceiving an adjusting screw 16.

The inverted U-shaped member 12 bridges the joint formed by the frontand rear sections of the last and has its legs engaging respectively thefront and rear sections 4 and 5 at the bottom of the interior thereof.The jaw also extends across the joint of the front and rear sections andthe teeth 14 at the upper face of the jaw engages each of the sections 4and 5 interiorlyof the same at the top thereof. The screw 16 is adaptedto be adjusted by a screw driver or other tool for separating themembers of the connecting device and for forcing the same firmly intoengagement with the top and bottom walls of the hollow front and rearsections 4 and 5. The connecting device will rigidly maintain thesections in position while the sections are being operatedon by theshaping means of a latheand the alloy block or blank formed by thesections is adapted to be shaped to the minutest dimensions by awoodworking lathe similar to a block of wood employed for making anordinary wooden shoe last. J

When the last is removed from the lathe or other woodworking machine itis in the form illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings with the terminalportions or lugs 2 and 3 after which these terminal portions or lugs aretrimmed oil. and the last is completed in its finished form, as

illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawings. Any style or form of last, eithersolid or hollow, may be constructed by casting a block or blank ofmagnesium alloy in approximately the shape of a shoe last and thenshaping the same to the exact form or style of shoe last desired, in anordinary woodworking lathe, and while magnesium alloy containing 95% ofmagnesium is employed, any alloy of magnesium containing not less than20% of magnesium may be employed.

A magnesium alloy shoe last is much lighter than aluminum and issubstantially as strong as mild steel and it is not affected by heat ordampness and can be applied without fear of shrinkage, expansion,swelling or checking, and it will preserve its specific contour andexact dimensions indefinitely. Also, after the style of a magnesiumalloy shoe last becomes obsolete, it is not necessary to entirelydiscard the shoe last, but the magnesium alloy contained therein may bemelted and recast into a block or blank for making a new shoe last ofthe desired style. Also, it will be clear that with the hollow magnesiumalloy shoe last a heating element may be provided interiorly of the lastfor applying heat to the same or the application of heat may be made tothe last exteriorly thereof without injuring the last or in any wiseaffecting the contour and dimensions of the same.

What is claimed is:

1. The herein described method of making metal shoe lasts, consisting incasting a metal block with terminal lugs, cutting the block transverselyinto front and rear sections, rigidly connecting and locking saidsections in fixed relation, then turning the sections of the block tothe required last shape in a shoe last turning machine, and finallytrimming off the terminal lugs.

2. A shoe last of magnesium alloy containing magnesium within the rangeof 50% to 95% or more magnesium and sufficiently soft to be turned in alast turning machine.

3. The herein described method of making metal shoe lasts consisting incasting a block of magnesium alloy with projecting terminal lugs, thenturning the block of magnesium alloy in a last turning machine to therequired last shape, and finally trimming off the terminal lugs.

4. A cast magnesium alloy shoe last blank consisting of a block ofmagnesium alloy provided with projecting terminal lugs' adapted to betrimmed off, said blank containing a suflicient amount of magnesium toenable it to be turned to the required last shape in a last turningmachine.

SIDNEY KURLAN.

